Hillary Wade spent years trying to hide. She hid from the negative comments that strangers might make. She hid from social situations where people would judge her without knowing her. And, mostly, she hid from her own feelings. But one year ago, a Monday night meeting became her saving grace. She sat in a circle of 10 people, began to speak and after uttering three words, broke down and cried. Talking about being obese had always been taboo, Wade said. But here she was, among a group of supportive individuals who understood what she was going through.

julieg@herald-mail.com Offering a variety of physical education classes and teaching healthy eating habits are the two main things Tri-State area schools do to attempt to curb obesity, officials said. "We have a real obesity epidemic," said Eugene "Yogi" Martin, supervisor of physical education and health for Washington County Public Schools. Dr. Daniel Sullivan with Physical Medicine Specialists said the number of overweight children has doubled in the last 20 years.

bonnieb@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A weight management program for children and teens that involves the whole family has come to Franklin County. About 40 people attended an open house Monday to learn about the Shapedown program, said Patti Carey of the Nutritional Counseling Services at Summit Health Improvement Center, which is running the program. Carey has no statistics on pediatric obesity in Franklin County, but said the county is "one of the fattest counties in the state when you look at the adult statistics.

The Centers for Disease Control Web site has a calculator for determining your Body Mass Index, BMI. Go to www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm and plug in your height and weight. Or do the math: Weight in pounds divided by height in inches divided by height in inches multiplied by 703. A healthy BMI for adults is between 18.5 and 24.9. BMI less than 18.5 - underweight BMI of 25 to 29.9 - overweight BMI of 30 or more - obese Resources: American Society for Bariatric Surgery, www.asbs.

More than 100 people gathered for Washington County Hospital's Nutrition and Wellness Conference on June 20. Focusing on wellness across the lifespan and prevention of chronic disease, the conference featured various speakers, healthy meals, some light physical activity and roundtable discussions. Earl Stoner, Washington County Health Department health officer, presented information on the prevalence of obesity in Washington County and its effect on diseases and health conditions.

So, what's the skinny on the first federal obesity guidelines released last month by National Institutes of Health? They provide a new way for doctors to identify, evaluate and treat individuals who are overweight or obese - 97 million American adults, 55 percent of the population. And it's not just about appearance. --cont from lifestyle -- Those 97 million Americans are at increased risk of illness from hypertension (high blood pressure)

It's been repeated many times: Many Americans are overweight. Now obesity is creeping into childhood, affecting about 20 percent of children in the United States. Heart disease, diabetes and other problems connected with obesity used to be adult medical concerns; however, with the increase in obesity in children, these medical problems are now starting in childhood. One of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity is the increase in screen time. The average child today watches four or more hours a day of television.

The following is a list of the 2012 unrestricted grants announced Thursday by The Community Foundation of Washington County MD, Inc. in partnership with the Pauline Anderson Foundation, to include each grant recipient's Strategic Community Impact Plan, or SCIP, goals: Habitat for Humanity, $2,000 for its Family Services Program. SCIP goals: Improve financial literacy and create a housing program. Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, $5,000 to support the processing of donated deer for area food banks and other food programs.

Two of my favorite food groups, salt and sugar, were in the news this week. Grease and chocolate, meanwhile, managed to fly under the national radar, at least for the time being. For salt, the news was good, although bad for anyone who has deprived himself of dry-roasted peanuts for the last four decades, and might now be tempted to go after the Department of Agriculture with a machete. Writing an op-ed in the New York Times, health-policy researcher Gary Taubes rather effectively destroys the conventional wisdom that salt is bad for you. In fact, some studies show that the greater danger is getting too little salt.

When the heat is on, there is a natural tendency to try to deflect attention away from ourselves. So that could be the explanation for the scholarly work titled, “Canaries in the coal mine: a cross species analysis of the plurality of obesity epidemics,” which was highlighted this week in Alex Tabarrok's Marginal Revolution blog. The gist of the paper is that, yes, we humans might be growing increasingly obese, but so are various members of the animal kingdom. The study looked at 20,000 animals representing eight species that come in contact with the modern human world.

It is an objective program. You set a reasonable goal, you take the steps, and the pedometer doesn't lie. The 10,000 Steps program is a straightforward approach to realizing an active lifestyle, and it has caught the attention of about 30 people who signed up for it through HEAL of Washington County - or Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles. Dave Ruff, owner of Ruff Fitness Training Center and HEAL volunteer, developed the free eight-week program that kicked off at Fairgrounds Park Saturday morning.

A scheduled walk around the North Hagerstown High School track Saturday morning will be the first program of HEAL, a non-profit organization aimed at fighting obesity in Washington County by promoting “Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles (HEAL).” HEAL FitWalks will be an ongoing free walking group for all ages occurring each Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. and lasting 30-45 minutes, HEAL executive Director Jenny Fleming said. “I hope this is an initial step for HEAL to start getting people to be active,” Fleming said.

Hillary Wade spent years trying to hide. She hid from the negative comments that strangers might make. She hid from social situations where people would judge her without knowing her. And, mostly, she hid from her own feelings. But one year ago, a Monday night meeting became her saving grace. She sat in a circle of 10 people, began to speak and after uttering three words, broke down and cried. Talking about being obese had always been taboo, Wade said. But here she was, among a group of supportive individuals who understood what she was going through.

Two of my favorite food groups, salt and sugar, were in the news this week. Grease and chocolate, meanwhile, managed to fly under the national radar, at least for the time being. For salt, the news was good, although bad for anyone who has deprived himself of dry-roasted peanuts for the last four decades, and might now be tempted to go after the Department of Agriculture with a machete. Writing an op-ed in the New York Times, health-policy researcher Gary Taubes rather effectively destroys the conventional wisdom that salt is bad for you. In fact, some studies show that the greater danger is getting too little salt.

The following is a list of the 2012 unrestricted grants announced Thursday by The Community Foundation of Washington County MD, Inc. in partnership with the Pauline Anderson Foundation, to include each grant recipient's Strategic Community Impact Plan, or SCIP, goals: Habitat for Humanity, $2,000 for its Family Services Program. SCIP goals: Improve financial literacy and create a housing program. Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, $5,000 to support the processing of donated deer for area food banks and other food programs.

Civil War Rail Trail could benefit all residents of county To the editor: Sen. Christopher Shank provides opinion without knowing the facts regarding the proposed Civil War Rail Trail from Hagerstown to Weverton. He believes it will increase development and poses different problems than the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT), which only borders parkland. Wrong. Washington County has regulations in place to prevent sprawl in South County unless the Commissioners continue to grant exceptions to developers.

It's been repeated many times: Many Americans are overweight. Now obesity is creeping into childhood, affecting about 20 percent of children in the United States. Heart disease, diabetes and other problems connected with obesity used to be adult medical concerns; however, with the increase in obesity in children, these medical problems are now starting in childhood. One of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity is the increase in screen time. The average child today watches four or more hours a day of television.

Are you stressed? Are you overweight or obese? If so, you might be able to participate in a free stress-management and weight-loss program through the Washington County Health Department. The health department will offer the latest Emotional Brain Training (EBT) program as a part of a study being conducted by Laurel Mellin, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco. The study will begin in early September and there is no cost to participate.

It's elementary. Healthy lifestyle choices should begin in childhood. But parents are busy. Fast food is cheap. And technology helps keep children sedentary. As a result, one out of three children in the United States is overweight or obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They are at risk for developing serious health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, that will carry over into adulthood. That's why Becki Weir believes it's important to promote healthy lifestyle choices as early as possible.